Copper and Brass Spiral Ejector Candlestick

What's for sale?

This is a handmade, spiral, ejector candle holder in copper and brass. It's weighted and stable.

This type of candlestick is sometimes known as a "rat de cave" or cellar rat. The handle, the rat's tail, moves up the spiral, and so pushes the candle upwards as it's used. This also protects the candle from being knocked over and makes it easier to remove when depleted.

The origins of this type of candlestick go back as far the second century, when French monks used them in Burgundy wine cellars.

This one appears to be from the second half of the 20th century. There's no maker's mark, but we've seen other very similar examples labelled for Laurence Butler, a copper and brass manufacturer from Cornwall, England.